A hard-copy version is generated from an electronic official document (decision), including its attachments. It has the same legal effect as the electronic official document from which it was generated.
If the recipient does not have an electronic mailbox activated for electronic delivery, public authorities are legally required to create a hard-copy version of the decision and deliver it to the recipient in paper form.
The hard-copy version must contain information identifying:
This information is included in the authorisation clause, which forms an integral part of the hard-copy version.
Further details concerning the procedure for creating hard-copy versions and their required content are set out in Decree No. 85/2018 Coll.Opens in a new window
If you are a public authority required to use the Central Official Delivery Service (CÚD)Opens in a new window, or if you use CÚD services voluntarily, the electronic delivery module will automatically generate the hard-copy version whenever the recipient's electronic mailbox is not activated for electronic delivery.
If you work directly in the electronic mailbox environment and do not use CÚD services, you can also create a hard-copy version directly in your mailbox.
The prerequisite is that you have been assigned the special role “Creation of an Authorisation Clause for an Electronic Official Document”.
The first step is to check whether you have been granted the special role “Creation of an Authorisation Clause for an Electronic Official Document”.
Check whether your institution is included in the list of users who have been assigned this role.
If you have not been assigned this role, you can request it through your electronic mailbox by submitting the “General Agenda” form.
Sample request:
Recipient: National Agency for Network and Electronic Services.
Subject: Request for access to the hard-copy version creation function.
Text: Request for assignment of the role “Creation of an Authorisation Clause for an Electronic Official Document”.
Please note:
The role may be requested by public authorities (OVM) that:
The option to create a hard-copy version with an authorisation clause was automatically made available to certain institutions on 17 February 2021. Other public authorities may be assigned the special role “Creation of an Authorisation Clause for an Electronic Official Document” upon request, provided that they meet the specified conditions.
The function for creating hard-copy versions with an authorisation clause can only be used in the electronic mailbox from the date on which the role was automatically assigned in bulk (17 February 2021) or from the date on which the role was granted upon request. It is not possible to create an authorisation clause in the electronic mailbox for decisions issued before the role was assigned. The status of the recipient's electronic mailbox must always be assessed at the time the decision is created and delivered, as this status may change.
Once you have been assigned the special role “Creation of an Authorisation Clause for an Electronic Official Document”, the function for creating hard-copy versions will become available in your electronic mailbox. A hard-copy version can only be created if at least one of the recipients to whom you intend to deliver an official decision does not have an electronic mailbox activated for electronic delivery.
In your electronic mailbox, complete the electronic form – the decision. If the content of the decision cannot be created using the electronic form (Section 28(6)Opens in a new window of the e-Government Act), you may attach an additional electronic document to the main form. The decision form must be authorised. Once you have completed and authorised the electronic form, click the “Send” button. The system will then ask you to provide details of the job position of the person who issued the authorisation clause.
After you confirm and send the message, it will not be delivered electronically to recipients whose electronic mailboxes are not activated for electronic delivery. Instead, it will automatically be saved in the “Sent messages” folder of your mailbox. The system will attach the authorisation clause to the message. You can then download and print the hard-copy version from the message details and deliver it to the recipient by post.
Public authorities (OVM) must authorise the electronic official document (EÚD) form – the decision – in accordance with Section 23(1)Opens in a new window of the e-Government Act, using either:
A qualified electronic timestamp is automatically attached to either form of authorisation within the electronic mailbox environment.
For more information about authorisation, please refer to the related guide “Joint Authorisation of Electronic Documents by Public AuthoritiesOpens in a new window” (.pdf, 1,073 kB).
A hard-copy version is made available in the electronic mailbox (in the message details) only for recipients who did not have their electronic mailbox activated for electronic delivery at the time the decision was sent. For these recipients, the decision is not delivered electronically. Instead, the message, together with the authorisation clause attached to it, is saved in the “Sent messages” folder and marked with the label “Hard-copy version”. When you open the message, the message details will be displayed, including a green “Print hard-copy version” button.
After clicking this button, a PDF document will be generated containing the authorisation clause and the paper version of the electronic official document (including any attachments, if applicable). At the bottom of the PDF document, you will also find information about the number of pages and references to the document(s) listed in the authorisation clause. You can download the PDF document to your computer, print it and subsequently deliver it to the recipient in paper form.
If the “Print hard-copy version” button does not work and an error message appears, you need to check the format of the documents included in the electronic message (decision). The button for printing a hard-copy version may not work, for example, if the decision includes documents in .png or .txt format. In such cases, these documents must be downloaded and printed separately.
In the message details, you will find a “Download” option in the top menu. Simply click on “Download content with PDF visualisations (.zip)” to save the documents to your computer. You can then easily print them as separate documents.
